5 Strange Historical Events No One Can Explain

Do these events have plausible explanations?

The world is a mysterious place filled with anomalous events, strange locations, and baffling crimes that often leave even the experts scratching their heads. Even with today’s technological advances, there are a variety of mysteries that just can’t be explained. Listed below are 5 unexplained historical events that are not only perplexing, they are also intriguing in their inability to be solved.

5. Aluminum Wedge of Aiud

In 1974, workers in Aiud, Romania made a startling discovery on the banks of the Mures River. Buried in the sand at a depth of approximately 35 feet were two mastodon bones that have been dated at around 2.5 million years old. While this discovery by itself is a marvelous find, what was found buried near the bones is what is really astounding. Workers found an aluminum wedge at the same depth that the mastodon bones were found. Archeologists have examined the wedge and determined that it is made of an aluminum alloy consisting of 12 different elements including aluminum, copper, zinc, silicon, cadmium, nickel, and cobalt and weighs five to six pounds.

Geological evidence suggests that the wedge is approximately 11,000 years old, but the oxidized coating on the wedge dates it to 300 to 500 years old. This has baffled researchers because aluminum doesn’t typically occur naturally and the ability to create aluminum wasn’t discovered until 1808, requiring 1,000 degrees of heat in order to produce it. This leaves the question – where did it come from? Some scientists feel that it’s a hoax, while other individuals think that the wedge is proof that Earth has indeed been visited by aliens, stating that the wedge resembles a landing foot. The wedge was on display for the public until 1995, but it is now in storage at an undisclosed location.

4. The Hinterkaifeck Murders

The case of the Hinterkaifeck Murders is a story filled with murder, mystery, and intrigue. On March 31st, 1922, at Hinterkaifeck – a farm located near the Bavarian town of Gröbern, Andreas Gruber age 63 and his wife Cäzilia age 72 along with their daughter Viktoria age 35 and grandchildren Cäzilia age 7 and Josef age 2 were all bludgeoned to death with a mattock. The Gruber’s maid, Maria Baumgartner age 44 was also killed. The case has never been solved and there are many menacing circumstances surrounding the case.

Around a week before the murders, Andreas Gruber spotted footprints leading from the forest up to the farm. What was really troubling was the fact that there were no tracks leading away from the farm. Gruber mentioned this to his neighbors, going on to say that he had heard what sounded like footsteps up in the attic. Gruber also found a newspaper on the farm that he didn’t purchase. Finally, Gruber’s house keys disappeared shortly before the murders. While he mentioned these occurrences to neighbors, he never reported any of these events to the police. There is a possibility that there may have been an intruder around the farm even earlier than when Gruber noticed all the strange occurrences mentioned above. Approximately six months before the murders, the previous maid abruptly quit, telling the Grubers that the farm was haunted. The new maid Maria Baumgartner was unfortunate in her employment. The day of the murders was her first day on the job.

There is no way of knowing exactly what took place on March 31st. It’s speculated that the Grubers along with their daughter and granddaughter were all coaxed into the barn one at a time and then killed with the mattock. The killer or killers then went to the house and killed Maria Baumgartner in her sleeping quarters and little Josef in his bed. It was almost a week before the bodies of the victims were discovered. Neighbors saw smoke coming from the chimney of the homestead and the livestock had been attended to regularly. It was only after it was noted that the mail was piling up and that granddaughter Cäzilia missed several days of school that neighbors stopped by the farm to check on the family on April 4th. While over 100 individuals have been questioned in relation to the Hinterkaifeck Murders, no suspect has ever been named and the case remains unsolved.

3. The Patomskiy Crater

One of the strangest natural mysteries to be discovered in the 20th century is the Patomskiy Crater. In 1949, geologist Vadim Kolpakov began an expedition to Siberia, travelling into uncharted areas despite warnings given to him by the Yakut people who resided in the region. The Yakut told Kolpakov that an evil place existed deep in the heart of the forest that was avoided by all, including even the local wildlife. They referred to this area as the “Fire-Eagle Nest” and stated that those who ventured into this location often began to feel sick and that in some instances people just disappeared without a trace. Kolpakov disregarded the native’s stories and continued on. He soon was confronted by a bizarre site. Rising up 25 stories out of the local forest was a massive crater. It had the appearance of a volcano mouth, but no active volcanoes had been noted in the area for several million years. The formation seemed to be recent – approximately 250 years old, and this estimate was later confirmed by the dating of the trees that grow around the crater. Adding to the strangeness, the trees surrounding the crater also seemed to have grown at an accelerated rate, much like the vegetation at Chernobyl.

Kolpakov believed that the crater was the result of a meteorite, even though the crater doesn’t resemble any other impact sight known to man. Others believe that it’s a volcano, while those who believe that aliens have visited Earth think that an alien ship resides beneath the crater. In 2005 an expedition was attempted with the hopes of discovering the origin of the strange crater, but the expedition leader died of a heart attack a short distance from the sight.